Pregnant? College Prep for Your Little One Starts Now

From the time my kids were little, they knew they were going to college. I can’t say my husband and I stressed it, but it was in the air, as they say. We simply talked about it naturally, and my daughter says she never considered not going to college.

My son, who loved science specials on TV, says that he noted that all the scientists had credentials, such as Ph.D.’s. Because he loved science, he knew college would be part of his future as well.

Start Early

David Kim, founder of C2 Education, a test prep, tutoring, and college admissions service, might approve of our approach. After all, my son is a full-time college student and my daughter graduated in 2015.

But I suspect that Kim would have wanted us to be much more ambitious for our kids, and honestly, had I known about services like Kim’s, we might have been.

“About 50% of our clients are in ninth grade or older,â€ Kim told me recently, “but 30% are in middle school and 20% are in elementary school.â€

Kim says his counselors meet with young children once a month to discuss their schooling and academic and nonacademic interests–and to talk about their future.

“We might start by talking about something they’ve heard or seen in the media, about college football or basketball or a celebrity associated with a college. Those are good starting points, to get the idea of college percolating in their minds.â€

College Prep Begins Now

Indeed, Kim says starting at birth is not too early. “Already you see parents buying their kids their college sweatshirts or T-shirts when they’re babies.â€

He also advises college campus visits, which leave an indelible impact on youngsters and is recommended by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Kim says.

C2 counselors, all of whom score above the 95th percentile in their fields, work to set intermediate goals for elementary school youngsters and explore appropriate programs, like specialty magnet schools or test-admission specialized high schools.

According to the C2 website, “Children who learn to harness self-motivation and willpower at an early age tend to outperform their peers into adulthood.â€